


It Takes Two To Fight This Fight

by ObsidianRomance



Series: It Takes Two 'Verse [3]
Category: Supernatural RPF
Genre: M/M, Mpreg
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-04-28
Updated: 2013-04-28
Packaged: 2017-12-09 19:40:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,239
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/777265
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ObsidianRomance/pseuds/ObsidianRomance
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>This is a sequel for <span></span><a href="http://rifle53.livejournal.com/profile"><img/></a><a href="http://rifle53.livejournal.com/"></a><b>rifle53</b>'s wonderful prompt.  It is Jared and Jensen's dealing with the newborn twins' first weeks on earth as well as dealing with the issues that come with taking their children out in public while falling under the status of celebrity.</p>
            </blockquote>





	It Takes Two To Fight This Fight

**Author's Note:**

> [](http://www.flickr.com/photos/85421651@N04/8682274705/)  
> **Title** : It Takes Two To Fight This Fight - this is a sequel for "[It Takes Two To Play This Game"](http://obsidianromance.livejournal.com/23970.html)  
>  **Pairing** : J2  
>  **Warnings** :  postmpreg!Jared, angst, cute babies, schmoop, h/c all around  
>  **Rating** : PG-13  
>  **Beta** :The fabulous [](http://yohkobennington.livejournal.com/profile)[](http://yohkobennington.livejournal.com/)**yohkobennington**  
>  **Banner** : The amazing [](http://bt_kady.livejournal.com/profile)[](http://bt_kady.livejournal.com/)**bt_kady**  
>  **Authors Note** : I love this 'verse.  I love this version of Jared and Jensen.  And while they like to have really dirty, hot, sticky, porny sexy all the time in my head, this is not a porny installment.  Don't worry, the porny parts of this version of J2 will come back in the installment that explains why Jared hates cheerleaders.  The only thing I have written in the last weeks is "[Happy Hour](http://obsidianromance.livejournal.com/38332.html)".   Maybe that can fill your prony quota.

IT TAKES TWO TO FIGHT THIS FIGHT

When Jensen wakes it is not necessarily because of being disturbed but because of the lack of a disturbance.  The room is unusually calm and silent, both things a rare commodity in the last few weeks since the twins have been home.  His internal alarm clock goes off and he is jolted into consciousness in search of some type of parenting concern, only there isn’t any.

He’s grown so accustomed to working on small increments of sleep.  So, when the twins seem to finally let him spend consecutive hours in dreamland, he wakes up on autopilot.  After the sleep haze lifts from his brain, he is able to recognize that Jared isn’t alongside of him in their bed.

That explains why the room is so quiet.

If Jared isn’t in the room at four in the morning, that means Jack isn’t either.

Jensen has no idea how he slept through Jack waking Jared up.  He must be more exhausted than he thought.

He yawns, lying awake in the darkness a few moments before he hears snuffling coming from the bassinette at his side of the bed.  Pushing up on one elbow, he sees Juliette fussing, rubbing a tiny fist over her face.  She isn’t awake yet but she will be soon.  It’s well past her 3:00AM feeding and Jensen wonders just how long Jack has kept Jared occupied.

Julie, like she usually does, makes little puppy whimpers, finding them to be effective enough in getting her parents’ attention.

She’s so different than Jack.  Jack _screams_.  He is needy and pushy, and he always wants, wants, _wants._ He is just like Jared in so many ways but Jensen cannot deny that Jack’s stubborn streak runs deep in him as well.

He lets Juliette take her time waking up, knowing she will tolerate the lack of his instant attention.  She’s hungry and he would rather heat up her bottle while she is still sleepy.

He’s happy Jared convinced him to put a small refrigerator in their room.  Navigating their large house to get from their bedroom to the kitchen and back seemed like a simple enough trip.  Multiply that trip by 6 and it started getting old real quick.  Jared still breastfed the twins, but he had been pumping too so that Jensen could get in on their feeding routines.  Without Jared around, Juliette was going to have to make do with a bottle.

Jensen knows she won’t care, she isn’t fussy about the method of delivery, she is just fussy about eating in general.  She takes her time and “plays” with her food before giving any real effort to eating.  For as easy as she is in every other aspect, Julie is a terrible eater.  It is the only frustrating part about her.

Almost like her opposite, eating is the only thing Jack stopped crying for.  If he is feeding from Jared, he is a happy newborn.

Jensen sighs and pushes out of bed, popping a bottle from the refrigerator into the warmer.  It is heated soon enough and Jensen makes his way back to his daughter, who is fully awake by now and sucking on her first.

“Hi, Princess.  You hungry sweetie?”  He scooped her into his arms and nuzzled the blonde fuzz on her head.  “Of course you are hungry.  Where is your papa?”  He settles back into bed and shifts Juliette so that she is nestled in the crook of his arm.  Part of him feels guilty that feeding Juliette is usually delegated to him, since Jared is often preoccupied with Jack’s meals.  Another part of him, however, loves it.  He loves the bond that he has with his sweet little girl.  It is _their_ time.

And the press?  The press eats it up.

Anytime they get a shot of big football player Jensen holding teeny tiny pink frothed Juliette, they go crazy.  The photos circulate gossip websites like crazy.  It is even worse if Jensen is in uniform.

When they caught him and Jared out shopping with the twins, Jensen could barely see after so many flashbulbs blinded his vision when he innocently leaned over and kissed Jack’s cheek as he slept on Jared’s shoulder.

Doing instinctive things like soothing his child’s cries when in public or helping Jared snap their children into their car seats was becoming a spectacle.  The moments that should have been heartwarming stepping stones in their journey as parents were starting to become tinged with frustration and annoyance.

It is wearing on him and it is only a matter of time before he snaps.  They are his and Jared’s kids; people need to bud out.

He and Jared had done the obligatory “bringing the twins to their first Dallas Cowboys game” and shared Jack and Julie’s birth announcement with their fans.  They were happy to do so and were expecting the onslaught of press and attention.  Now it needs to stop.  Now people need to back off and let them live.

In the safety of their house, Jensen is able to snuggle Juliette into his arms and not worry about how much attention his actions are getting.  He jiggles the bottle, wiggling the nipple in Juliette’s mouth and prompting her to latch on better and suckle.  Julie eats vigorously, sucking with gusto.  “Hey, you _are_ hungry, huh?”  His eyes pop wider when he realizes his daughter is making this easy for him.

Her big eyes blink up at him, blinded by the darkness but looking right at him as a reaction to the sound of his voice.  Her hands toy aimlessly with the fingers Jensen has wrapped around the bottle and she coos in contentment.

She looks tiny in his arms, which makes his protectiveness kick in all the more.

She makes him feel things he wasn’t capable of comprehending years ago, let alone a month ago.

She makes him feel like a dad.  And that is awesome, but he misses being a husband too.

Juliette yawns, the effort taking up every ounce of energy in her body and she smacks her milky lips.

Jensen turns her so that her sleepy form melts over his strong forearm as he thumps her back several times before she burps like clockwork.  He lets Juliette snuggle belly down against him for a few moments, savoring her feather light weight across the wide stretch of his chest.  She’s sleeping again within a few moments but Jensen is too awake to follow suit.  He’s more interested in finding where Jared has disappeared to.

After tucking his daughter back into her bassinette, he pushes out of bed and pads down the hall, searching for any sign of activity and coming up empty.  He jogs down the stairs and finds signs of life in their kitchen, lights left on and a coffee mug he swore wasn’t there before they went to sleep.  Still, no Jared.

Delving deeper into their home’s first floor, he hears soft hints of music filtering down from his right and it is the only clue he needs to locate his husband.  Following the sounds, he arrives at the private dance studio Jared had built when they bought the house two years ago.  The space is airy and bright, the lights partially dimmed but still bouncing off the corners of the room.  It’s small for a dance studio but spacious and larger than one person needs.  Lingering in the doorway, Jensen folds his arms over his chest and leans one hip into the doorframe as his eyes land on Jared.

Jared’s back is to him as he moves in ways Jensen is more than familiar with.  He’s seen Jared dance thousands of times but the fluidity of his motions never ceases to amaze him.  Jared is still in his sleep clothing, worn black cotton pants and a v-neck tee that hangs off his shoulders, but he looks every bit the ballet dancer who drove Jensen crazy.

Even after some downtime due to the pregnancy, Jared still has that air of grace about him, the one that made Jensen taunt him mercilessly like a school boy.  He moves in time with the music, so lost in his dancing that he doesn’t notice Jensen when he spins and continues on with his routine.

Jensen can see that he has Jack in a wrap, secured tightly and safely across his chest.  Even though he is spinning and taking small leaps, he hits the ground so softly that Jack isn’t fazed by it.  It may seem odd doing a ballet performance with your 4 week old in a sling across your body, but Jack loves it.  He is completely safe and the wrap allows Jared to carry him around while unrestricting his movements.

Based on the music filling the room, Jensen can tell Jack must have been having a tough night.  Jensen’s heard this song before; he doesn’t know what it is called even though Jared has told him a million times.  Classical music, in fact, all music without words, falls into the same category of unknown territory that Jensen will never appreciate as much as Jared wants him to.  Regardless, he has heard this song before and Jared tends to pull it out whenever Jack is stressed.

It must have worked, because Jack isn’t making a peep.  He is snuggled against his father, sleeping or too entranced by the sway of Jared’s body to be vocal.

Just like with Julie, sometimes when Jensen thinks about Jack, his heart skips a beat and he feels like a cliché of a father.  He loves his son and it does funny things to his resolve.  Used to leaving the dramatics to Jared, he can’t stop himself from smiling like an idiot when he talks, thinks, or interacts with Jack.  Jack is special – not that Juliette isn’t.

Jack is just needier and that fact kicks every doting bone in Jared and Jensen’s body into place.

Technically, the doctors cannot find anything wrong with Jack.  He’s perfectly average.  But he has colic and he cries all the time.  He’s had some digestion issues with formula and seems to have a tougher time adjusting to being out of Jared’s womb than Juliette does.

But he’s perfect.  He cries a lot but they aren’t worried, they’re just exhausted.  They’ve been told it will pass.

In the meanwhile, Jared is Jack’s only meal ticket and their arms are the only places where he quiets down.

A smile creeps up Jensen’s face as he watches the two men in his life move across the studio.  It is serene and he wants very much to make himself part of it but he is afraid of breaking the spell Jared has over Jack.  Jared breaks it for him a second later when his feet hit the floor after a jump and he spins in a single motion.  Something gets jumbled up and Jared stumbles to a halt, wincing and cursing under his breath as he rubs his side.

Jensen’s smile falls as he quickly makes his way towards Jared.  “You okay, princess?”

Jared’s eyes snap up towards Jensen, startled by his voice but not surprised by his presence.  He winces again and the composure his body held just moments ago falls away.  Jared’s abrupt halt of his dancing brings Jack out of his sleep and he whines.  “I’m okay.”  He sighs and pads towards Jensen.

“That - _that_ didn’t look ‘okay.’”

“I’m sore, that’s all.  I haven’t moved like that in a while.  Kinda been a little busy.”  He eyes Jack and wraps both arms around him.

Jensen takes in Jared’s eyes; his husband looks exhausted.  “You sure it isn’t more than just being ‘sore’?”

“Jen, I just had two babies.  I’m bound to be a little out of practice with this.  It’s fine.  I promise.  I wouldn’t be selfish enough to ignore my health when I have Jack and Juliette to take care of.”

Jack lets out a wavering cry, fully awake and not afraid to let everyone know about it.  He draws both parents’ eyes to him and fusses in the wrap.

Jared resumes rocking his hips, but he winces again, sharp intake of breath causing a spike in Jensen’s concern.  “Shit.”  He stumbles but keeps both arms around Jack.  “Damn it, I wish I could just be _me_ again.  I’m so tired, and he just won’t stop crying.  _Ever_.  I can’t…I just…”  He put his hands up in defeat and turned towards Jensen.  “I just want to be able to do the things I used to do before I got pregnant.  I feel so…so…gross.”

Making a scoffing noise in the back of his throat, Jensen stares at Jared like his husband is crazy.  “Princess, you are being too hard on yourself.  You are amazing.  And being a dad?  That looks damn sexy on you.”  Jensen reaches out a hand and strokes it up the curve of Jared’s spine.

“I still got this baby belly thing going on.”  Jared brings both hands to his barely distended middle.  He’s being vain and ridiculous, he knows, but he can’t help the feelings from creeping out.

“Seriously?”  Jensen raises an eyebrow at his husband, who is still staring intently.  “Okay…so you’re serious.”  He should be used to this type of perfectionist attitude in Jared, but it still makes Jensen shake his head at the man.  “What are you talking about?  I can barely see anything.”

“That doesn’t mean _it_ isn’t there.”  Jared shifts his weight to one hip and puts his hand on it.

“I’d still do you.”

That gets a snort of laughter out of Jared.  “You better.  You put a ring on it.  No returns!”  Jared smiles but is too tired to keep it up for longer than a brief appearance.  Jack lets out another frustrated cry and Jared’s attention is pulled back to his son.  “Shh, hey Jackie, it’s okay.”

“Let me take him for a little bit.”  Jensen takes a step forward but Jared doesn’t let up on his hold around Jack.  “You’re exhausted.  I can take him for a while so you can get some sleep.”

“I…”  Jared shushes Jack and curls protectively over the baby’s frame.  “I can take care of him.  It’s okay…I…I can take care of him.”

“I’m not saying you can’t.”  Jensen reaches forward, his hand cupping Jack’s chubby cheek.  “But you _do_ need sleep and a break.”

“He just….he just keeps crying.  I wish I could get him to stop crying.  I’m _so_ tired and he _just cries.”_ Jared pushes his hair out of his exhausted eyes with one hand.

“I know Jay.  But he’s fine.  He’s just colicky.  We’re not doing anything wrong.  Plus, he loves you.  He is always happiest with you.  This is why I am positive that he wants you to get some sleep.”  Jensen slips his hands into the wrap securing Jack against Jared’s chest and eases Jack out of the fabric.  The baby is crying, firsts balled up and angry.  “Hey, baby boy.  What’s all the fuss about? Huh?”  He cradles the baby against his chest, his tiny rump fitting perfectly into one of Jensen’s palms as his head roots around on Jensen’s shoulder for a comfortable position.  The baby is light in Jensen’s hold and he can’t believe how something so delicate can make such an angry cry.  “Shh…shh baby.  Why don’t you tell papa to go get some sleep, huh?”

Jared looks hesitant to move.  His hands reach awkwardly towards his husband and son before pulling back only to finally settle on Jack’s back.  “Are you sure, Jen?  I…”

“I’m sure.  We’re good.”  Jensen leans forward and kisses Jared’s lips lightly.  “Go.”

“If you’re sure…”  Jared still looks unsure.  He leans forward and kisses Jack’s cheek, pulling back a fraction before pressing another kiss.  “I love you, baby.”  He takes an uncertain step backwards, watching the most important men in his life start to sway to the music.

Jensen sighs.  He can tell that Jared is dead on his feet and it is endearing that Jared is fighting through it in order to make sure Jack is taken care of.  Still, Jared is not invincible.  He needs to take care of himself.  As much as Jensen wants to take care of and provide for his children, he feels just the same for Jared.  “Go, baby.  I fed Juliette already and put her back in her bassinette.  She shouldn’t wake up.”

“Okay…yeah.”  Jared licks his lips.  In a fluid movement he presses forward into Jensen’s arms and presses another kiss to Jack’s cheek.  Jack is still wailing but his cries taper off into a whimper as Jared kisses him.

“Jay, we are not sending him off to college.  He’s with me.  You are going to be a few rooms away.  We’ll come join you when he falls asleep. “

“I know…I just…I just love him so much.”  Nuzzling Jack one last time, Jared pulls away.

Jensen laughs.  He loves seeing Jared so stripped down and honest.  Everything about Jared’s actions makes his stomach flutter.  “We love you too.  Which is why we want you to be functional tomorrow for the twins’ doctor appointment.  You are not saddling me with the two of them all by myself.”

Jared curls his lip.  “Oh, so now they are something you feel ‘saddled’ with?”

Rolling his eyes, Jensen gets a better hold on Jack, starting to rock him in a motion he discovered always calms Jack.  “Jay, you know I didn’t mean it that way.  _You know that_.  I would never – will never – think of Jack and Julie like that.”

The frustration in Jared’s eyes flickers out and he shakes his head apologetically.  “God, you’re right.  I’m sorry.  I’m just…”

“Tired.  I know.  Go, princess.”  A soft smile creeps across Jensen’s face and he nudges Jared, pressing a quick kiss to his husband’s forehead.  “I’ll be in when he passes out.”

Nodding, Jared turns towards the exit.  Jensen doesn’t watch him go because Jack is acting up again and he wants his daddy’s attention.  He doesn’t remember when he discovered it, but Jensen must have picked up more grace from Jared than he originally thought because Jack _loves_ it when Jensen rocks him.   His hips start on a rotation of figure-eights and Jack takes shuddering breaths between cries that are become further spaced apart.

“I love watching you with him.”

Jared’s voice startles Jensen.  He had thought the man walked out already.  But no, Jared is leaning in the doorway watching the two of them with smiling eyes.

“I love watching you rock him.  It is like you do this magic rocking thing.  It works every time.”

Jensen can’t do anything but shake his head knowingly.  Jared has never done anything someone has told him to do; Jensen has no idea why he thought he would listen this time.  He shoots Jared a glare, a warning that the man better get his butt in bed.  It is an order, not a suggestion.

“Alright, I know, I know.  I’m going.”  Jared gives a quick flick of his wrist and even though it looks like he does so with great difficulty, he leaves the room.

This time, Jensen watches his husband leave.   “Looks like it is just you and me kid.”  Jack has stopped crying and blinks big wet eyes up at Jensen.  He looks at his father like Jensen will always have all the answers in the world and that kind of responsibility scares the shit out of Jensen.  This tiny being he created is totally dependent on him and Jared.  It’s amazing but that doesn’t mean it isn’t scary.  He’s known his son a mere matter of weeks and he already knows he would die for him.

Rocking Jack, he decides to tell him all of these things.  When Jack blows a spit bubble, Jensen takes it as a sign that the baby is listening.  It takes a while longer but eventually Jack falls asleep and, when Jensen turns the music off, he stays that way.  Jack’s either exhausted himself past the point of being able to be miserable or he is finally happy.

By the time Jensen shuts down the lights and makes his way into the master bedroom, Jared is fast asleep.  The dancer is sprawled out across the bed, one of Jared’s legs hanging off the bed and his arms strewn over his head.

Jensen thinks the fact that his husband looks completely ungraceful and unstructured is adorable.  When Jensen gently transfers Jack into his bassinet and slides into bed, Jared barely moves.  All he does is throw an arm across Jensen’s chest and snuffle in his sleep, a muffled exhausted exhale escaping his lips.

For the moments Jensen is still conscious, there is a delicious silence in the room.  They’re exhausted but they’re happy.  It’s good, hell, it is better than he thought it would be.  He knew he had to enjoy it now before the three ring circus act that is bringing the twins out in public happens tomorrow.  He’s dreading that fiasco, but he isn’t dreading the content slept he’s about to fall into.

When Jared was pregnant, Jensen got a _touch_ over protective of him.  It mostly wasn’t a problem but if he brought Jared to a game, he always freaked out about leaving him alone long enough to actually play football.  Technically, being at the game wasn’t a problem – it was getting to the game.  Sometimes people expected Jared to be at every game, a fair assumption since Jared _was_ at every game, and they knew where to stand to get a photograph of the couple.

For some reason, blogs and gossip magazines couldn’t get enough photo evidence of the two, especially with Jared’s belly so obviously showing evidence of their relationship.  Sometimes, paparazzi got a little too overzealous, a little too rough.  It only took a hint of a paparazzo possibly brushing into Jared to send Jensen into hyper drive.

He wasn’t just aggressive in bed and on the football field; he was aggressive if anyone tired to mess with his family.  He’d even gotten close to decking several assholes who got too close for comfort.  But he hadn’t, because he knows it would only make things worse.

Jared was no pushover himself.  He was able to handle his own.  It was true that before Jensen he wasn’t such a public figure, but he had to claw himself to the top of the dancing community and he was able to handle himself in vicious situations.  Adapting to being with Jensen and the new world of celebrity that came with it was an adjustment but Jared took to it with as much grace as he did everything in his life.

So, the press crowding in on them had been annoying.

Now that the twins are here, however, they are getting worse.  People are dying for the first shots of Jack and Juliette, who Jared and Jensen have selfishly kept to themselves for the time being.  The entire pregnancy had been very, very, _very_ public.  The men want to keep something for themselves for a little while.  They love that the twins are _theirs_ and no one else can have them right now.  They need this time as a family.

The press’ actions, the ones Jared and Jensen once wrote off as a nuisance, are now considered dangerous because while shoving an adult is almost harmless, shoving a newborn could be fatal.

It is why Jared has been a fidgeting mess all morning.  They need to take the twins out for a wellness appointment and a vaccine; meaning, they have to take their little lambs out in front of the wolves camped out near the house.

The wolves trail them to the medical building, camera flashes going off and people getting in the way as Jensen and Jared struggle to get two car seats through a crowd while trying to shield their babies.  They’re aided by blankets tossed over the top of the carriers, blocking anyone from getting a shot of the twins.

Once inside, it is better.  Things are calmer and they don’t have to worry about celebrity status.  They are simply Jared and Jensen, who aren’t a famous football player or ballet dancer; they’re just two new dads.  Jared relaxes, finally, heart rate returning to normal human status.  It’s not so easy for Jensen because the pediatrician gives Juliette her vaccine first.  The moment she cries, Jensen wants to punch the doctor.  He might have had Jack not shocked the hell out of him when he stays perfectly happy after getting his vaccine.  No cries.  No reddened face.  No fussing.  He is making his parents into fantastic liars by displaying none of the cranky behaviors Jared and Jensen just finished expressing their worries about.

The twins are healthy.  Juliette is right on track and Jack is a little behind her.  He is still considered small but the doctors aren’t worried, they say it is normal with twins.

The appointment wraps up quickly and Jared huffs sadly.  He is glad his babies are healthy but he isn’t looking forward to braving the journey to their car.  Juliette is still whimpering in his arms and there is no way he is putting her down.  Jack has taken up an almost permanent residence on his shoulder and there is no way he is turning his little girl away when she ‘needs’ him.  Shushing her softly, Jared kisses her temple and gives Jensen a pathetic look.

Jensen more than understands.  He isn’t looking forward to facing the press either.  It has _never_ been this bad before.  The usual are hounding them but so are some fresh faces.  It makes him sick because he knows people are willing to pay a high price for pictures of the twins.  These photographers are no better than poachers at this point.  They’re like glorified bounty hunters.  “Jay, we gotta go.”  He crouches down and straps Jack into his car seat, tucking a blanket snuggly around him and tossing one over the top to shield him from onlookers.

“I know.”  Fishing in their diaper bag, Jared pulls out a pair of sunglasses.  They’re tinted too dark to see through and when he perches them on his nose, Jensen can’t make out the exhaustion in his husband’s eyes anymore.

The sunglasses are ridiculous.  Jensen hates them.  They are huge and probably trendy right now, but that’s not what bothers Jensen so much.  Jared never hides, but these glasses are big enough to hide behind.  Sadness stirs in his gut when he realizes this is what their life has become.  The sadness morphs into anger and Jensen cannot stop himself from snorting out a growl of frustration.  He’s buzzing with the physical need to unleash some of it.

Jared picks up on the change in his husband immediately.  “Jen, relax.  It’s going to be fine.  I just…well…”  He looks at Juliette, snuggled happily on his shoulder and finally not crying.  “I don’t wanna let her go.”  He tries to move her and she snuffles out a complaint.  “See?”

Instead of putting her back in the car seat, they compromise.   Jensen drapes a pink blanket over Jared’s shoulder, cascading over Juliette and completely covering her.  Jared makes sure he has a firm grip on her as he takes several breaths to prepare himself for the onslaught of flashbulbs and shouting.  “Ok, let’s get this over with.”

The moment the buildings doors push open, they can hear people screaming their names.  Jensen always wonders why paparazzi do that because it makes him less likely to give them the satisfaction of actually looking at them.  If anything, it is Jensen’s cue to keep his head down and plow ahead.  Jensen is known for giving fans what they want, so he usually smiles, waves, and plays nice.  That was before his kids were involved.  Now their pleading for him to look their way makes him want to punch them.

“Hey, Jensen, can we get a shot of your little football player?”  The paparazzo leans in just close enough to brush against Jensen.

“Nah, he’s not really into cameras.”  Jensen pushes him off with a gentle shove that could be interpreted as simply walking past rather than a form of aggression.  He keeps a smile on the whole time, taking the higher road and behaving like an appropriate human being.

A smaller woman seemingly comes out of nowhere and pushes through the crowd.  She gets a little too comfortable with Jared’s personal space as she shoves a camera near his shoulder, trying to get a picture of Juliette.  “Come on Jared, is your princess as pretty as you are?”

Jared curls his lip at the word ‘princess’.  He hates that some asshole with a camera thinks she has any right to give his daughter a nickname.  Instead, he plays nice.  “She’s gorgeous.  Thanks for asking.”

“Can we get a picture?”

“No, sorry.  We had a long day and they just want to go home.”  Jared flashes a practiced smile and nods apologetically before tucking his chin down and plowing ahead.

“Come on!”  The woman blinks her eyes as if it will help her case.  She is hot on Jared’s heels, following so close that when Jared stops short to adjust the blanket over Juliette, she crashes into him.

Jared stumbles when their two bodies collide and lets out a surprised gasp at the unexpected contact.

“Sorry, I was just trying to get a picture.”

“He said ‘no’!”  The goofy grin Jensen usually throws the press is long gone.  He’s angry and the woman is far too close to Jared, clearly making him uneasy.  She trips again or is shoved, Jensen can’t tell, into Jared and Jensen moves so quickly Jared cannot process what is happening.  In one move, Jensen puts his body between Jared’s and the woman, shoving her backwards with a little more force than necessary but not so much that anyone will complain about it.  It’s a good thing because he is vaguely aware of video camera’s capturing their every move.

There are police hovering around, looking like they are as excited about the moment as Jared and Jensen are.  They roll their eyes at the spectacle unraveling in front of them, making Jared certain they hate him.  He is the reason for a major bump in their day and he agrees with them whole heartedly that they probably have better things to do.  Since when did monitoring parents taking their newborns to the doctor become a matter for the police?

Jared is worried that Jensen is about to lose it.  As much as he would love his husband to tell off the people whose loud screams are now making Jack cry, he doesn’t want that type of negative press for Jensen.  There are still a few more months to the football season and with Jensen bowing out of a couple of games already, due to the birth of the twins, he doesn’t need to piss off the Cowboys and their fans any further.  He places a reassuring hand on Jensen’s shoulder, “it’s okay.  We’re fine.”

He is so preoccupied with making sure Jensen doesn’t cause a scene right now that he doesn’t notice the man approaching him until it is too late.

The paparazzo lunges with one outstretched hand and yanks the blanket off Juliette, exposing her to the world.  People roar in excitement and cameras go wild, but Jared cannot focus on any of that.

The only thing he can focus on is Juliette _screaming_.  She is a quiet baby, but this cry is anything but calm.  She is distressed and howling, immediately alerting Jared to the fact that something isn’t right.  Looking down at her, he sees an angry red scratch on her porcelain apple cheek, her baby sensitive skin brought to the brink of bleeding.  It is a long thin line, like a fingernail scratch, and Jared realizes the man who pulled her blanket down must have scratched her in the process.  He stares at it for a second, but it’s long enough for his heart to speed up and adrenaline to race through his body.  He can’t believe someone hurt his baby girl.

He’s going to kill someone.

“You asshole!”  In a move completely un-Jared-like, he swings out and punches the man square in the jaw.  It hurts his fist but he follows through with it and connects, pushing through until the man stumbles backwards and his camera goes flying.  “You fucking asshole!”

The man falls backwards onto the concrete, staring wildly at Jared while rubbing at his jaw.  “He hit me!  You all saw it.  He hit me!”  He scans the area and locates his camera, destroyed and shattered across the sidewalk.  “You broke my goddamn camera.”

Jared glares daggers at the man.  “Screw you.”

Suddenly, the man puts on the guise of a victim and scrambles backwards a few inches, as if Jared’s words physically harm him.  He locks eyes with the police who are finally getting their asses in gear.  “He hit me.  I want to press charges.”

“Are you kidding me?”  Jared blinks and takes a step back.  “ _You_ assaulted my daughter.”  He struggles to get Juliette covered up again but the baby is squalling and awkwardly punching her arms out in frustration.  Every time the blanket covers her, she tugs it back down.   “Shh, sweetie.  It’s okay.”

Jensen lunches forwards, intent on punching the paparazzo on the other side of his face to match the beginning of a bruise Jared has already gifted him with.  “You son of a –“  He is cut off when two policemen slam into him and force him backwards.  He still has Jack’s car seat firmly in his grasp so he doesn’t put up a fight.

Jared’s head spins.  Everyone is yelling and fighting and a camera is thrust in his face.  He screams and squeezes his eyes shut for a moment.  When he opens them it is only to face a police officer saying something he cannot hear.  “What?”

“I am sorry Mr. Padalecki, but I am going to have to take you into the station.”  The cop’s words come out as more apologetic than authoritative.

“What!”  Jared is sure he heard wrong.  It is, after all, hard to hear anything with the crowd screaming, his babies crying, and the man he hit throwing every curse word under the sun at Jared.

“You did hit the man.  I’m…I’m really sorry….but maybe you can give the infant to your husband?”

“What?!  No!”  Jared pulls backwards, holding onto Juliette with a death grip.

This time the cop gets more forceful.  He grabs Jared’s shoulder in a gesture that lets the dancer know the officer means business.  He still has apologetic eyes, but he has his handcuffs out and is giving Jared a warning glance.  “Please.  Mr. Padalecki, it will be easier if you just give the baby to your husband or else we will have to take her from you.  I’m sure you don’t want that.”

For the first time, Jared doesn’t feel like he has any control.  He doesn’t know what he is supposed to do.  Jensen is snarling, making a bigger scene than Jared has ever seen him make.  It takes practically all the effort from four cops to keep Jensen from turning the paparazzo into a bloody stain on the sidewalk.  An officer is holding Jack’s carrier and everything is _wrong_.  Jared knows he needs to get this under control before it becomes so much worse.  “Jensen!”

Jensen’s head snaps in Jared’s direction.  “Jay, this is bullshit!”

“I know.”  Licking his lips, Jared sighs.  He is so close to crying but he forces himself to hold it together just a moment longer.  “I need you to take Juliette.  Okay?  I need you to take her now.  So you have to stop fighting.”

Almost going cross eyed with anger and confusion, Jensen cannot believe the worlds coming out of Jared’s mouth.  He’s never seen Jared back down so fast but it makes sense.  They need to get the twins out of here and this is the fastest way.  “Jared, I’m not letting them fucking _arrest_ you!”

“No, it’s okay.  I…I just need you to take her.  Okay?  You have take her for now.”  The officer lets Jared push out of his grasp and walk towards Jensen.  “Please?”

“Jay…”  The tension disappears from Jensen’s body and the cops’ holds on him goes along with it.

“It’s okay.”  Jared slowly transfers Juliette into Jensen’s arms.  Almost as soon as he does so, there is a clasp of cold metal against Jared’s wrists when the officer handcuffs him, yanking his arms backwards.

“Are you fucking serious?  Handcuffs?”  There is anger in Jensen’s voice and Juliette picks up her screaming again.  “Are those really necessary?”  Jensen’s heart breaks at the sight of his husband in handcuffs.

“It’s okay.”  The fire is out in Jared’s voice and he wants to close his eyes and have this whole mess turn out to be a nightmare.  “It’s okay…”  His voice gets stuck on loop, making him unsure of whom he is trying to convince.

Jensen pushes forward and presses a kiss to Jared’s lips, body language making it obvious that it aches to be forced apart from Jared.

In a flash, Jensen is pulled away from his husband as Jared is guided into the back of a police car.

It becomes a mob scene as the police help Jensen to his car and push the crowd back enough so that they can get Juliette and Jack safely buckled into their car seats.  Barely a second after the rear door is slammed shut, Jensen floors it towards the police station.  It gives him a sick feeling in his gut that a hundred other people already have a head start.  He knows that by the time he gets there, there will probably be a huge crowd threatening a repeat performance of ten minutes ago.  This time he isn’t going to play so nice.

It turns out, constantly having your public appearances video recorded isn’t always such a terrible thing.  It is clear on the video that the paparazzo made the first move and threatened Juliette’s well being.  Also attesting to this fact is the cut on Juliette’s cheek.  It’s small and Jared knows it will heal, but right now it is a perforated line of bloody dots.

He’s not shocked her skin in so sensitive.  His is the same way.  Add that genetic trait to the fact that she is a newborn and the cut is much redder than one would expect.

Juliette wears her wound as a piece of evidence to help her father stay out of trouble.

By the time Jensen arrives, Jared has already gotten off on self defense.  Everyone knew it would go that way but there are protocols to follow and rules to abide by.

When Jensen takes Jared home, the car ride is tense and silent.

The damage has already been done, however.  The assault is leaving a bad taste in the press’ mouths.  The way most gossip sites and television segments are spinning it, they are painting Jared as a diva who is more trouble than he is worth.

The moment Jensen turns on the television, some warped story of the scene outside the pediatrician’s office is flooding their senses.  Dealing with that is easy; they shut off the television.

It is harder to keep curiosity at bay.  Almost a glutton for punishment, Jared gets curious as to what blog sites and twitter are saying about him.  He promises himself that he will check once and then dismiss whatever he reads as the musings of ignorant people.  The problem is, he gets stuck in a black hole of reading increasingly damming posts about himself.

He and Jensen have always had their share of haters; Jared is sure everyone in life does.  Because of their public status they are bound to have more than their fair share.

That doesn’t mean it doesn’t hurt when he sees the terrible things people are writing about him.

There are posts and tweets ranging from simple hatred messages to ideas that Jared’s diva-like attitude is ruining Jensen’s career and he isn’t worth anyone’s time.

Some people even take the paparazzo’s side, stating that he was only doing his job.  Jared simply over reacted.  The same person said it is a shame that Jared’s celebrity husband is the only reason he got out of facing the consequences.  They say that Jensen is whipped and a “pussy” because he wasn’t the one to start the physical fight.

One asshole even states that Jared got pregnant in the first place to ‘trap’ Jensen in a relationship, that the twins are just a pawn.

That is _it_.  No one degrades his children’s importance like that.

Jared loses it.

He lets himself curse and scream and yell before he remembers that _this_ is not who he is.  He is not this crazy person who cares what other people think.

Except…he is.  Underneath, he always was.  His parents trained him to be a dancer, for other people to watch him and _think_ or _feel_ certain things based on everything Jared threw out into the world.  He has always conduced himself with a sense of pride and composure.  He _cares_ about keeping up that appearance.

He doesn’t care if people hate him but he does care if people don’t bother to learn the truth.

Fighting back with anger is not the way Jared knows how to fight.

Instead, he turns Twitter against his haters.

He grabs his cell phone and takes a picture of Juliette, making sure the scratch is _very_ noticeable.  It is almost too perfect that Julie is hungry, her little fists balled up and mouth wailing because she needs one of her parents to get on board with meal time.

It takes him 30 seconds to tweet the picture with a caption reading:

_“Poor Juliette!  How could anyone purposely hurt such a tiny thing?  It made me go all papa bear on him.  Can you blame me?”_

He puts his phone down and moves onto more important things, namely feeding his daughter.  Looking down at her snuggled at his chest, he sighs.  He hates seeing the scratch on her face because it reminds him of so much more than why she got hurt.  He knows she is going to get banged up in much worse ways in the future, but he hopes it isn’t because of someone’s foolish actions.

Juliette nurses, her fussing subsiding along with Jared’s frustration.  They take the moment to just be the two of them, without anyone telling them they are the reason for this afternoon’s commotion.  Juliette makes content snuffles as she suckles and Jared can’t help but relax.  Juliette is safe in Jared’s arms.  _Safe_.

Jack is somewhere with Jensen, probably in the office, while Jensen is on damage control and dealing with a million phone calls.  Jensen promised to call Jared’s parents for him because he really doesn’t have the energy to deal with them himself right now.  Jared’s mother and father have no doubt heard about their ‘confrontation’.  Jensen promised to deal with all of it so that Jared can blissfully _not_ deal with it.

Juliette is pretty much playing with her food by the time Jared gets curious enough to check his Twitter account.  He expected some sort of response to his previous tweet but is blown away by what he finds.

In twenty five minutes, his tweet has been re-tweeted thousands of times and then some.  People are defending Jared.  They think the paparazzo’s actions are “deplorable” and that he is “some type of monster”.

Jared smiles instantly when he reads one person’s tweet saying, “No wonder Jared hit that asshole.  How lucky is Juliette to have him as a parent?”

There are tons of well-wishes for Juliette, telling her that she is a brave baby.  They wish her a speedy recovery and assure her that her adorable face will be picture perfect soon.

It is just a tiny scratch but people seem to understand that it means more to Jared than that.

It was the first time someone had taken his baby’s wellbeing out of Jared’s hands.

Jensen walks into the room with a purpose, Jack over his shoulder and his cell phone faced out towards Jared.  “What is this?”  He flashes the picture Jared just tweeted in his husband’s direction.

Jared feels guilty for a second.  The public had never seen the twins and a quick tweet was not the plan he and Jensen had for exposing their children to the public.  Somehow though, this felt right.  He doesn’t want money for the twins’ baby pictures.  He doesn’t even want a cover story.  He just wants a regular life for his children.  “Umm…justice?”

Jensen smirks and looks at the phone again.  He’s not angry.  If anything, he is amused.  “You fight dirty.”  He whistles at the rising number of re-tweets.  “I like it.”

Things get much better after that.

Jared has no idea if it is his tweet the turns the tides but suddenly everyone and everything is talking about stricter laws to regulate paparazzi.  They even bring up ideas about making it illegal to take photographs of public figures under a certain age, making it safer to take children out in public.

Jared turns on the television and suddenly he is some type of hero.  Other celebrities are applauding his behavior.  Hosts are complimenting the way Jared is handling himself.  They even compliment Jensen, saying that it probably took a lot of the man’s effort to prevent him from killing the paparazzo who hurt his daughter.

In one week, the whole situation has been turned on its head.

No one blames Jared or Jensen anymore.  Instead, people think they are the perfect couple and there is an outpouring of support for them.

As a way of thanking the people who helped shine a truthful light on the situation, Jared tweets another picture of Juliette.

This time, he dresses her up in Jack’s miniature version of Jensen’s football uniform.  He puts a silly little knit hat on her.  The hat looks like a football but has a pink flower knit into it to make it feminine.  When he poses her on her belly, Jared makes sure the name Ackles shows clearly across her back and her eyes are wide and bright.

He tweets the picture with a quick caption:

_“Juliette wanted to thank everyone for their well wishes and support.  She is a trooper and just as tough as her daddy. XOXO”_

The picture is more of a hit than the last one.  It doesn’t hurt that Juliette is one of the cutest babies in the world, at least in Jensen’s and Jared’s opinions.  Having her wearing Jensen’s uniform and the hat is a lethal combination of cute.  It spreads like wildfire until #acklesfootballroyalty is trending and her picture shows up on every form of social media and gossip blog under the sun.

It seems that Jared and Jensen’s little princess is as loved by fans as she is by her parents.

Everything is all well and good until Jared starts getting tweets asking where Jack is.  They want to know if he is being “Juliette’s cheerleader and helping her get well soon.”

Jack is _not_ a cheerleader.  He never will be.

Just the thought leaves a bitter taste in Jared’s mouth.

Instead of going on a rant about why Jack is _not_ a cheerleader, Jared takes another picture.

He waits until Jack is in a smiley mood and dresses him in a white tutu.  Jared knows his son looks ridiculous but he is trying to make a point.  In an almost pointless attempt to make the scene more masculine, he shoves a stuffed football in Jack’s grasp.  It's a losing battle since his son is practically swathed in Juliette's pink fluffy blanket.  He catches Jack mid giggle before taking a picture, tweeting it with a brief explanation.

_“Jack is putting in his time doing some interpretive dancing for Juliette.  I’ve heard it’s very therapeutic.  He learned from the best, after all.”_

When Jensen sees the image, he laughs so loudly that it carries through the whole house.  In his opinion, Jack looks way to happy wearing that tutu for his comfort.  He doesn’t love the idea of his son cross-dressing.  He and Jared are most definitely male and that is how he would love his son to stay as well.  The more he looks at the picture, however, he can’t stop the calm feeling washing over his body.  Jack looks happy.  Who cares if he is in a tutu?  Jensen just wants his son to be happy.  Maybe Jack will follow in Jared ballet shoes.

Either way, Jensen loves the way Jared has responded to people’s requests for a cheerleading Jack.  It means he has his feisty husband back.

It also means that Jared’s back to hating cheerleaders.  He might still hate paparazzi but at least that part of their life has faded enough for him and Jared to go back into their normal routine.

And, normal?  Normal sounds perfect.

THE END


End file.
